Wiliam Kvist was five years old when he discovered his love of football, and soon began playing for the youth teams of Thorsager Ronde IF in his native Jutland in the north of Denmark. He later moved to the capital and began to shine with KB Copenhagen, before becoming part of the Danish national youth set up and also making a name for himself at FC Copenhagen.
The 25-year-old is a genuine all-round talent who can play anywhere across the midfield, though he is best suited to a central role. He also played handball as a youngster which no doubt helped him to perfect his long throw-ins which he can propel into the penalty area and are almost as good as a corner.
Kvist's debut for Denmark came in somewhat unusual circumstances. A spate of injuries robbed the squad of all their full-backs and the coaching staff were desperate to find a quick fix to the situation – and this turned out to be Kvist. He took to his new and unaccustomed position like a duck to water, to the delight of coach Morten Olsen, and he has been a fixture in the squad since 2007.
Kvist has since moved back to his customary midfield berth for both club and country. He played in three of the qualifiers for South Africa, one of those as a substitute, and featured prominently in the 1-0 win in Sweden and the 1-1 draws against Portugal and Albania.
